"Cary Cooper's new CD has captured me. It is so very well written, well sung and well recorded that I've found myself listening over and over again for the sheer pleasure of it, and the songs now sit in my heart like old friends. Her song stories are tales of a woman's hard earned wisdom as she embarks on that lonely spiritual journey that leads her to herself. Cary's voice is disarming and seductive, beautiful and inviting, but beware, these tales are not all easy to swallow. The road is rocky and the lessons come hard. But what an honest ride she takes us on! This is a wonderful record, and I hope that people will discover it and fall in love with it like I have." ----Mary Gauthier "Cary Cooper moves people in bulk...She is busy serving you stuff to make your life glow. Wake The Frack Up!! Pay Attention. Be Moved!" ----Vance Gilbert

Cary Cooper is a whimsical performer, and an award winning songwriter. She plays the guitar and piano. In 2010, she added ukulele to her repertoire bringing about her reinvention as a solo artist after touring for 8 years in a duo with Tom Prasada-Rao. On her two latest albums, Zuzu's Petals and Pink Umbrella, Cary’s songs are light and quirky in nature, drawing you in with pop melodies and then hitting you over the head with lyrics that are deceptively deep.

2011 found Cary as a cast member of Troubadour, TX, a nationally syndicated American documentary television series following various singers and songwriters across Texas. The series featured behind the scenes looks into the lives of the various artists, known as "Troubadours", as they encountere both professional and personal challenges.

September 2012 saw Cary launch a Youtube channel called RealWomenReal Songs featuring herself and 13 of her favorite women writers who are committed to writing a song a week from a common prompt for an entire year. The collaborative features writers such as Amy Speace, Abbie Gardner (Red Moly), Raina Rose, Mira Stanley (The Sea The Sea) Nicolette Good and Carolann Solebello. This group (Season 2) now has 21 songwriters featuring Terri Hendrix, Tracy Grammer, Sara Hickman, Alice Peacock and Ellis among others.

Cary is also a dynamic teacher. Cary spent the summer of 2014 teaching songwriting to high school students at Interlochen Arts Academy in Michigan. Dick Siegel, Interlochen Program Director calls Cary "an outstanding educator. An accomplished songwriter and performer herself, Cary’s curriculum is innovative and thorough. She engages students with intelligence, warmth and humor, quickly earning their respect and affection." Former Interlochen student, Liv Greene, from Washington DC says, "Cary Cooper managed to unlock parts of my brain that I didn't even know existed, helping me find my creativity underneath all the overly- organized thoughts. She opened up a whole new world of tools, tips and tricks for me, all while cultivating an amazing creative community that supports and inspires." Cary is currently a full-time music teacher at the Franklin School of Innovation in Asheville NC, sharing her singing and songwriting skills with all grade level..

2013 Finalist Telluride Troubadour Contest

2013 Top 200 on FolkDJ Playlists (Based on from airplay data 138 different DJs)

2012 Finalist Telluride Troubadour Contest

2012 Top 125 on FolkDJ Playlists (Based on from airplay data 138 different DJs)

David Via (sounds like sky) is the winner of the 2009 International/American Folk Alliance Songwriters Contest,held at Mountain Stage, and has picked up MerleFest's-"Chris Austin Songwriter" prize three times.

Via's songs are real: they tell the true stories of love gone wrong, living off the land, of hard times and good times.

"David Via is one of those guys whose name bluegrass fans may recognize, but without necessarily being familiar with his music. Unless you follow the jamgrass scene, where Via is a hero, or the cult of acoustic/bluegrass songwriters where he also has a very strong following." -Bluegrass Blog

"David Via is one of the best home grown songwriters in modern bluegrass." -Tim O'Brien

"He is also one of the best songwriters in the business." -Bluegrass Unlimited

David Via's other albums include "It All Comes Down To A Song" and "In A Holler on a Mountain" recorded with Corn Tornado as well as "The Via & Woody Show:Live at Lanta" with Woody Wood and "Tall"Paul Leech.

David's songs have also been recorded by other artist including Ronnie Bowman, who has had a top 10 Bluegrass hit with "Left This Country Boy" and a #1 Americana with the song "One Life". The Biscuit Burners also recorded a version of "Left this Country Boy" known as "Left This Country Girl" and "Lord Leave The Light On" recorded by Dede Wyland. Corn liquor was also recorded by Larry Keel, and Bill Cardine's latest CD has Via singing, one of his own songs Too many years, Via also sang on The Jumpy Jerky sessions opening track, "The Flee".

"Via is that kind of a guy, unassuming, charming, a masterful musician and songwriter, and, on occasion, unlucky or hapless in ways that might make a lesser man lose his cool or appear less than flattering." -Winston Salem Journal

"Via's intriguing approach to old-time string music. The sound of his music is inarguably rooted in old-time bluegrass, so much so that one can almost hear the mountain leaves rustle, feel the freshly plowed earth and smell the smoke that emits from countless chimneys on cold mountain nights..What separates Via from his bluegrass contemporaries is the way he writes his songs. His lyrics and song forms break from tradition, not in a jarring manner, but in a subtle way that carries the listener to some place new without even knowing they are on a journey. It's bluegrass, with a strong country-blues undertone, and an overt allegiance to the working-man's folk music produced by the likes of the late Woody Guthrie and Johnny Cash." -Winston Salem Journal

Also Appearing will be

Diedrich Weiss

Weiss has been performing his songs for over 25 years, from bars to churches, from theatres to a hospital where he volunteered for 6 years performing each Friday for patients. He's originally from Minneapolis, MN and now creating home in the Blue Ridge Mountains

"Music doesn't get more personal or purposeful than it does for songwriter D. Weiss. With traces of Richard Thompson and Jeff Buckley, Weiss obviously has a deep emotional well."

-Ross Raihala, St Paul Pioneer Press

Mark Fuller

Mark Fuller is a talented Americana singer-songwriter from Old Fort NC.

Mark is well-rooted in the world of bluegrass having performed with several bluegrass groups. Fuller now focuses on his original songs penned firmly in the Americana genre. He was a finalist in the Great Blue Ridge Talent Search held at White Horse Black Mountain

Rental Inquiries

White Horse Black Mountain is available for rental for a variety of events of all types. We've been used for weddings, wedding rehearsals, birthday parties, reunions, seminars, workshops, corporate events, non-profit events, films, fairs, festivals and more.

We offer reasonable rates and top notch service and attention to helping you make your event a rousing success.

For more information about renting White Horse Black Mountain for YOUR next event